jennireadsmaybe's Reviews (678)

I had the best time reading Phantasma!!! The gothic, haunted house setting + the battle royale competition sucked me in from the start. I loved that the challenges were centered around the seven deadly sins because they got more wild each time. Ophelia is such a badass fighting for her and her sister's lives and trying to avoid making deals with the supernatural creatures that haunt the halls. Every side character added to the plot in such a great way. The mystery also really kept me grounded in the book. 

Blackwell is such a swoony MMC. I genuinely enjoyed how their relationship came to pass. Going from insta-lust to an honest-to-goodness love story can be difficult but Kaylie Smith did a phenomenal job. The will-they-won't-they back and forth tension was dizzying in the best way IMO. I just wanted to reach into the book and push these two idiots together!! The steamy scenes we're so good and really played into the character dynamics. 

Read this if you like deathly competitions, haunted houses, solving mysteries, demons + devils + necromancers oh my, and will-they-won't-they romances. 

I knew what I was getting into, but this was a straight up mess. My favorite character is Ari (he's not one of the two MCs). Monroe deserves way better after her traumatizing as hell childhood. Lincoln is straight up annoying. The stakes just weren't high enough for me to warrant his behaviors. Fourteen year old me would've at this up, but 25 year old me didn't love it. The casual fatphobia in the beginning is really disheartening. 

Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I know that Monroe and Lincoln would not last. I liked them in the beginning but around the 50ish% mark it went down hill. The smut wasn't my favorite and felt very quotable but not emotionally impactful for the characters. 

Read this if you like bonkers dark romance with low stakes, hockey romance, and reliving your Wattpad glory days I guess.

Byrd better stand behind me so I can protect her from any further harm! To be blunt, she is put through the wringer throughout the entirety of Scars Like Wings, but she is such a loving, caring, sunshiney person that you want to root for her! As the reader, you have much more information that Byrd does about many parts of her life; I found it so entertaining to read along as she discovers long lost truths. I love the friendship she has with Simone and Maisie! It's such an amazing example of strong female friendships. In fact, I loved all of the side characters because they added so much to the plot. 

The overarching fated mates romance between Byrd and Quinn is so gosh darn cute from their love at first clumsiness meet cute. I really enjoyed the build up between them and the various moments of comfort they brought each other. There are a ton of secrets between them that I can't wait to see play out in book 2. The steamy scenes are delectable and really capture their ever developing romance. I just really loved these two together! 

Chelsey J. Leon sat down and wrote a phenomenally stunning debut! Don't let the length deter you because every moment matters. Please read this!!! 

Kit and Julia are both such amazing characters. Kit's storyline deals with a lot of comphet and parental expectations; she's coming into her queerness and it's freaking powerful! Julia is still somewhat recently coming out of a toxic relationship and navigating the world in a way she's not sure suits her anymore. Rebekah Faubion captured them each so well that I'm not convinced I couldn't run into them somewhere in Southern California. Also, the Joshua Tree setting was amazing; I've been there so many times and The Lovers felt just like another visit.

Add it to my list of second chance romances that flashback without taking away from the current romance. Such a phenomenal estranged friends to lovers romance. The tension and the yearning and the horniness, god it was all there for me! It's a romance through and through, but it's also about these two women falling in love with their true selves. I'm also such a sucker for couples getting to know each other again as adults which this does so well! 

Read this if you like sapphic romances, bi4bi, second chances, friends to lovers, learning to love yourself, tarot and other magical things, wonderfully lush settings, and feeling all the feels. 

As a certifiable Ted Lasso fan I just want to start this off by saying Close Knit is the closest I've ever felt to watching Ted Lasso in a book. Grumpy goalkeeper Cameron Hastings has a traumatizing past that leaves him feeling alone; meanwhile, sunshine knitting influencer Daphne Quinn is making the most of her "yes year" by moving to London. I love these two so much because in their loneliness they end up learning so much about themselves. All of the side characters from the football team were hilarious and great additions to the overarching plot of the book. 

Kels and Denise are one of my favorite author duos because not only are they phenomenal at crafting likable and relatable characters, they also write romances that are always believable. I loved this forced proximity, one night to hate to friends to lovers (I think that captures everything)! There's so many feelings and heartwrenching moments between these two that you can't help but root for their romance. And as always Kels and Denise give the characters room to start healing themselves while they fall in love. It's just so heartwarming!!! 

Read this if you like sports romance, knitting and other cozy hobbies, Ted Lasso, knotty smut (🥵), mental health representation, and romances that make you want to fall in love. 

Thank you to Kels and Denise Stone for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3  

Jo Quinn and Hunter Cleary the women that you are!!! Katie Duggan is simply the best at creating whole characters that you can't help but root for. I loved them both so much. Jo's journey to leave behind her toxic workplace is so relatable, getting to read her dreams coming true was so heartwarming. Each aspect of the girls' characters was so well researched and written. They're my babies end of story! 

Back to Me is the perfect example of a second chance romance that doesn't rely on the past to push the current relationship forward. Each of the flashbacks came at the exact right time in the story to understand them more. And they were roommates!!! Hunter's pillow definitely heard some things 😳 I think their romance was so heartfelt. Jo learning to love after the traumatic end of her engagement and Hunter journey with her sexuality and hateful family situation had them come together (😉) and have such impactful conversations. If you can't tell, I loved their romance so much!!! 

Read this if you like second chance romance, roommates, fat + midsize representation, following your dreams, love stories for everyone, dancing around your living room with someone you love. 

I feel like I say this all the time but Noelle is my favorite kind of character to read about. She's a messy twenty something full of grief and jealousy. Honestly, I loved that both of them had insecurities that followed them from a life of competing against each other. I think it made them feel so much more realized than any I've read this year! 

The romance y'all!!! The romance!! They're former academic rivals brought together by a love letter from their grandparents past. I love that they get to know each other while on the roadtrip their grandparents never took. I eat up forced proximity every time, and You, with a View is no different. They go from at odds and full of banter to head over heels in a way that felt so authentic to them. The spice was very hot and fun and full of sneaking little moments where they could. It's sickeningly sweet in the best way!!! 

Read this if you like messy 20 somethings, banter, academic rivals to lovers, forced proximity, road trips, seeing the best in someone when they can't see it in themself, and falling for the most unexpected person. 

DNF at 58% I tried so hard but honestly i was just so bored 

I received an ALC from Libro.fm

From the moment I saw the announcement for The Truth According to Ember I desperately wanted to read it; I jumped at the chance to listen to it. I ended up really enjoying it too! Danica Nava captures the romantic comedy better than any other author I've read. This was the perfect amount of steamy, romantic, and hilarious. And, it's the first ever traditionally published romantic comedy by an Indigenous author.

Ember is one of my favorite kinds of characters because she's a realistic look at what being in your 20s is like. She's struggling to find a job, so she lies on her resume. It also explores racism in hiring and the business industry. Her lies catch up to her when Danuwoa, the stunning, gorgeous Native Daddy IT guy is interested in her too. The forbidden aspect and sneaking around was so hot! Danuwoa is definitely a book bf! 

Read this if you like romcoms, sneaking around, little white lies, and supporting BIPOC debut authors! 

Makiia Lucier's books are so easy to fall into; Dragonfruit is my second of her's and I didn't want to put it down! Dragon fantasy has been taking the book world by storm. This is one of the more unique one's I've found thus far. It's steeped in Pacific Island folklore and the lush, sprawling island setting sets it apart from other books on the market. 

Hanalei has been on her own for so many years that it's overwhelming for her to be back on Tamarind. Her relationship with the island and the dragons makes her an outside in the community. I enjoyed her personal journey so much. Sam is a sad boi™ who is desperate to find the magical cure all that will heal his mom from her life long sleep. The sprinkle of romance between these two childhood best friends turned strangers to lovers was just the right amount for me. 

Read this if you are looking for diverse fantasy (specifically with dragons), lush settings, commentary on colonization and its effect on cultural beliefs, and a dash of romance.